Kenyans may soon no longer need to move from one government office to another in search of services after the government directed all state agencies to make their public services available at Huduma Centres across the country.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku announced the directive on Tuesday during celebrations to mark Africa Public Service Day at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
Ruku said all ministries, departments and agencies that offer services directly to wananchi will be required to make those services accessible through the country’s 59 Huduma Centres.
According to the CS, the directive is part of President William Ruto’s efforts to improve public service delivery and make it easier for citizens to access government services closer to where they live.
“We have directed all ministries, departments and agencies which have citizen-facing services. All those services must be made available in Huduma Centres,” Ruku said.
For many Kenyans, Huduma Centres have become the first stop when seeking government services such as national identification cards, birth certificates, NHIF-related services and other public documents. However, not all government services are currently available at every centre.
Data from Huduma Kenya shows that the programme currently offers 165 services from 51 ministries, departments and agencies, as well as 35 county governments.
Even so, Huduma Kenya Chief Executive Officer Ben Kai revealed that only 11 national government agencies have fully deployed their services in all Huduma Centres nationwide.
The government now wants that gap closed.
Under the new arrangement, agencies with enough personnel will be expected to station their officers at Huduma Centres to serve members of the public directly.
For agencies facing staff shortages, the Ministry of Public Service says a different solution has been put in place. Huduma Centre staff will be trained to handle selected services on behalf of those agencies.
“Where they don’t have enough staff to place in the Huduma Centres, their staff will be trained on those services and they will be able to offer them on behalf of the government agency,” Ruku explained.
The move is expected to bring relief to many citizens who often travel long distances or visit multiple offices before accessing certain government services.
In some cases, Kenyans have been forced to seek services in neighbouring counties because they were unavailable at their local Huduma Centres.
Government officials believe expanding services through Huduma Centres will not only save citizens time and transport costs but also help create a more uniform and efficient public service system across the country.
The Ministry of Public Service says the plan will also reduce operational costs for government agencies while improving service delivery, reinforcing Huduma Centres’ role as a one-stop shop for public services.
